Dr. Beach: NY's Southampton beach tops list

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. 
An annual list of top 10 beaches released Friday includes two in Florida, with the list's creator saying he's not worried about pollution from the oil spill.

Dr. Stephen Leatherman, director of Florida International University's Laboratory for Coastal Research, who is also known by the friendly nickname Dr. Beach, included Siesta Beach in Sarasota and Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, on his list of best beaches.

He said Cape Florida, on the southeast coast, "doesn't get the wave activity" that can lead to tar balls washing up. As for Siesta Beach, he said he had looked at currents and believes "there's very low probability the oil will get to southwest Florida."

The No. 1 beach on this year's list is Coopers Beach in Southampton, N.Y., on the east end of Long Island. It offers pristine white sand gently sloping toward a shoreline of lapping waves, convenient parking and amenities and nary a gum wrapper in sight.

"New York has world-class beaches, but I don't think a lot of people in the United States know about them," said Leatherman.

This is Leatherman's 20th year of compiling a list of the country's top 10.

Leatherman's list also features another New York beach, Main Beach in East Hampton, Long Island, not far from Southampton. Main Beach takes the No. 5 spot on this year's survey.

"When most people think of a beach vacation destination, they go south," Leatherman said. "I kind of think the east end of Long Island is a well-kept secret for most Americans."

Coopers Beach has been a contender for the top spot in recent years, but this is the first time a New York beach has made it to No. 1, Leatherman said. He considers factors like water quality and temperature, cleanliness, weather, sand, safety and facilities in making his list.

Once a beach makes it to the top spot, it is retired from consideration in future years, he said. Leatherman added that designation as the country's No. 1 beach usually brings as much as a 20 percent bump in tourism.

"Both Main and Coopers beaches have been recognized in the past as being among the top 10 beaches in the country - and to now hold the top spot is especially significant when you consider the quality of the company we're in," Moke McGowan, president of the Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in a statement.

Main Beach was in the headlines in April after a 13-ton baby whale washed ashore and had to be euthanized; thousands of onlookers visited the ailing mammal on the seashore while it struggled for life over several days.

Several miles away on Coopers Beach, the Hamptons' hometown crowd spoke about the cleanliness of the beach and described it as a welcoming, family-oriented playground.

"It's wide, the sand is like baby powder," said Carol Gerbereux, a visitor for at least 40 years. "It's just a beautiful location; it has wonderful facilities and it's just a pleasure to come here."

Joseph Graygor, another longtime devotee, said litter is a no-no. "It's a very, very clean beach," he said. "There's no garbage on it." He also said a concession stand, showers, and other amenities are key assets at Coopers. "The parking area is very, very close to the beach. There are some beaches where you have to park a long ways away and walk a long way."

Village residents get access via a beach parking permit; those without permits face a $250 fine. But non-residents can also visit for a daily fee of $40 - it is the Hamptons, after all. Alcohol is banned, along with tents, bonfires and overnight camping.

Laura Masterson, a lifelong Southampton resident, noted that people thousands of miles away from Coopers Beach can visit via webcam. "It's a gorgeous place to be," she said as she settled into a beach chair. "We were just in Florida. We've been to Puerto Rico and Bermuda and you can't find beaches as beautiful as this."

Separate from the top 10 list, this year Leatherman launched a project called the National Healthy Beaches Campaign. Campaign member beaches pay $800 a year to be evaluated monthly on 60 self-reported criteria and receive advice on maintaining environmental quality through "proactive management," Leatherman said. Some of this years top 10 winners were given free memberships in the Healthy Beaches Campaign after being selected as winners, he said, but he emphasized that beaches do not pay to be evaluated for the top 10 list and that he visits top 10 candidates incognito to collect sand and water samples for study.